autism

Autism: Reason for Concern, Reason for Hope

Just in time for World Autism Awareness Day comes a shocking new report from the CDC: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) affect one in 88 children, not one in 110 as previously thought. That means the condition is being diagnosed about a thousand times more often today than it was 40 years ago.

What’s going on? Is autism really increasing — exploding might be a better word — or are doctors just more sensitive to signs of the problem than they used to be? If autism is on the rise, what’s fueling that rise? And what can we — parents, friends, professionals — do to help a child with autism or a related disorder? We asked Geri Dawson, PhD, chief science officer of Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, what the recent research tells us.

Even the new numbers may be an underestimate
Dawson has said that the new numbers make it clear that autism is a public health emergency. But, she told us, the problem may be even more prevalent than the new report suggests. An Autism Speaks-funded study, which made its estimate in a different way, found that one in 38 children have an autism spectrum disorder. “I know — it’s shocking,” Dawson says.

It’s not clear which estimate gets closer to the truth. The CDC findings come from looking at children who have been diagnosed with ASD in 14 states, while the other researchers screened schoolchildren in South Korea to try to include kids with the disorder who had never been diagnosed. Autism Speaks is now funding a similar “wide net” study in the United States in collaboration with the CDC. Stay tuned for those results.

We’ll never find the cause of autism
That’s because there isn’t a single cause. “Autism is not one condition but many different conditions with many different causes,” Dawson says. The good news: We’re getting clearer on what some of those causes are.

Scientists have identified hundreds of genes that can raise risk, including some that can cause the disorder on their own, such as in Fragile X syndrome. We’re also getting a better picture of other factors that may raise risk, for instance, the age of either parent when the child is conceived. If a woman gets enough folic acid during pregnancy, that may help protect her child — another reason to take those prenatal vitamins. And some studies suggest that exposure to air pollution or pesticides may add risk for vulnerable children.

Researchers are now following high-risk infants (ones who have a sibling with an autism disorder) from conception in order to get a better handle on possible autism triggers. “Those studies are going to be really informative about what factors play a more significant role,” Dawson says. The first results should come in the next year or so.

Treatment is getting better
It’s clear that early, intense behavioral intervention can have dramatic benefits for kids with ASD, Dawson says, increasing a child’s IQ and language ability and reducing some of the difficult behaviors that are a hallmark of the disorder. Now a number of groups are trying to identify autism earlier so the treatments could start earlier, too. “That’s the focus of a lot of work right now,” Dawson says.

How much earlier? Instead of preschool age — which is when “early” treatment now generally starts — researchers are working on ways to detect autism in infants, and on interventions that could be used for infants and toddlers. In a number of studies, parents are being taught everyday strategies to help engage their baby socially and stimulate early language development. Results of that research will start coming out soon, too.

“We’re very excited about this area of research,” Dawson says. “Not only do we hope children will have a more positive outcome, but this approach also empowers parents.”

How do you feel the pace of autism research is progressing? Leave a comment in the box below and let us know.

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File under: In the News

Contributor

Lisa Davis

Lisa Davis is a deputy editor at Sharecare. She's spent years covering health at a variety of national magazines and in the digital universe, developing an allegiance to scientific research and a respect for what people know about their own bodies. She’s written for newspapers and magazines across the country, and helped launch Hippocrates magazine and guide it as it became Health magazine. Later, she was Deputy Executive Editor at Prevention, and then Health Editor at Reader’s Digest. She tries to spend as much time as possible with her family and friends, figuring that happiness is a key to health and a lot more fun than taking vitamins.

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Comments

  1. Karen

    You ask how Autism research is progressing? My son is 27 years old,as of yet I have not heard of the real cause.I am just as angry now as I was when he was under 2 years old and were told he had”Autism like features”. My son is low functioning and will always require support.He has 2 older brothers who soon will want children of their own.The thought that they could go through having a child born like their brother terrifies us.If there is something that could be done to prevent this we need to know!!

    April 3rd, 2012, 5:26 pm
  2. Melissa

    I picked it up in my twins while they were infants and got help in CA by 18 months. It made all the difference. One is barely on the spectrum now and the other is very mild and functioning as “normal.” I still see the spectrum symptoms and have recently requested further testing to assist her with her spacial difficulties with writing and math.

    April 3rd, 2012, 8:39 pm
  3. Patricia Lyons

    this is so alarming….we need to find out what is causing this epidemic…is it vacinations?
    I don’t trust the drug companies!!!

    April 3rd, 2012, 10:27 pm
  4. Jillian Handren

    I see nothing here about high functioning Autism? My grandson is thought to be in this category. He is receiving excellent care from his parent’s and teachers and he is so so bright! I’d like to hear more about this condition and wonder if it comes under the description ASD?

    April 3rd, 2012, 10:52 pm
  5. Cheri Aldridge

    More discussion needs to happen about vaccines. I know vaccines play a huge part in this. I have two children that have autism. You would rather blame me the mother and say that my having my children at 30 and 32(older than average) is the problem rather than admit these children are getting too many vaccines at too young of an age.

    April 17th, 2012, 2:27 pm
  6. Rose Doub

    Have there been any studies to see if there is more or less autism in children of stay at home mothers vs mothers who work away from the home?
    I’m wondering if more intense social contact before the age of 1 makes a difference in the percentage of children discovered to be autistic (???)

    April 17th, 2012, 4:17 pm
  7. jana setty

    my daughter-in-law will not get the vaccines her children need. she thinks it will give them autism. if this were true, why are not all children afflicted with autism. could it be something that the parents injested when the babies were concieved or carried? a person who my daughter knows, has a child with autism. the baby didn’t get sick, till after the shots. i asked, how did the baby act the day it got its shots. she said it cried and cried. i asked if the parents ever spanked the baby. she said he was always spanking the baby. i’m thinking maybe he hit the baby when it was crying after his shots, or shook it to make it ctop crying and now blames the shots instead of taking the blame for being mean. i think there are as many reasons baby get autism as there are babies with autism. they sould do a big study of all of the children who have it, not jsut a few. narrow it down to a few dirty dozen or so.

    April 17th, 2012, 4:22 pm
  8. Erica

    In addition to autism that is inherited, the incidence is also tied to the father’s age and to maternal obesity. Recently, as the number of older fathers having children has increased, and as obesity among mothers has skyrocketed, the incidence of autism has naturally increased.

    April 17th, 2012, 5:17 pm
  9. Helen

    My son is now 40 who was diagnosed with Autism at a late stage because Doctors kept telling me to “leave him alone and give him time”. .. All the while I was telling them “something was wrong”…
    So now we have A Forever Child with AUTISM, NMS (Neuraleptic Malignant Syndrome – from being on DR. prescribed Haldol (haloperidol) to “calm down his symptoms”). and Tourette’s . He has never had speech… How sad is that?
    The Mediical Profession has come a long way…but what about these “LOST CHILDREN” that they partnered to create.? I am a believer in the theory of the VACCINES having a big part in this tragedy which seems to be increasing… Where do they come from? CHINA, like our contaminated dog food? Nuff said. . . . .

    April 17th, 2012, 5:24 pm
  10. Julia Oldham

    As a teacher, I can tell you that the number of children with autism is exploding. It is a life changing diagnosis for the entire family, not just the child. I am so disappointed that the medical community is not putting more emphasis on finding the reason for this ever increasing condition among our children. a few years ago, one in 125,000 children was diagnosed with autism and now it is one in 88! Are we going to lose a whole generation of children before we get serious about preventing this?

    April 17th, 2012, 5:47 pm
  11. Sharon

    Early intervention is stressed; yet, it takes way too long to get a diagnosis because of a hesitancy to “label.” Would a doctor fail to inform a parent their child had cancer? I don’t think so. Richmond, VA.

    April 17th, 2012, 6:56 pm
  12. bamski

    I have a grandson who has Autism, he was diagnosed at 2 years old an has been working so very hard daily, weekly and yearly since his diagnois, Why hasn’t there been as much work done on finding the cause of Autism as he has working to live with Autism.

    Do we believe it’s the latest things we’re being told, like mom’s overweight and or too old, same goes for dads———–I don’t believe so, then I’m just an old gramma next they could say it’s because I’m too old.

    Vacine, yes i do believe were giving our children way too many vacines/chemicals at one time———-I had eight children and not one of them received what these babies do now,
    and not one of them had Autism.

    Do we trust the drug companies———NO. It’s a shame what is happeneing to our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, the ones like my sweet grandson with Autism.. As a country we should all hang our heads in shame for all we’ve NOT DONE.

    April 17th, 2012, 8:40 pm
  13. Karen Nielsen

    One in 88 is extremely frightening when thinking about what that means for just one elementary school. It makes me wonder what is being done in the area of teacher training. I’m not talking about special education teachers and programs, there’s great progress being made there. The issue that needs to be addressed are the high functioning kids who are in the regular classroom. The regular classroom teacher doesn’t have a clue when it comes to these children. They all want to look at I.Q. and test scores. It doesn’t make a hill of beans what their I.Q. is or what score they make on a test if they can’t do the work or function socially in that class. My son can score very high on tests and his I.Q. is in the gifted range, but he struggles with language arts and his behavior can get totally out of control some days. There were so many incidences last year in school of his losing control and hitting teachers that I lost count after 8 times! The main reason for these incidences were the teachers’ failure to recognize the signs of increasing frustrations in my son and then responding to him like the typical student using forced coercion. The principal’s (with a PhD.) response was, “Oh, he just showing off to the other students”. I’m sure I’m not the only parent with this kind of experience. It’s time that something needs to be done to train all staff that deal with our children in the public schools, until then these children will continue to be underserved in our schools!

    April 18th, 2012, 12:12 am
  14. Michelle Provost

    My son 7 now is on the Spectrum he is reading and doing well. Its was a long Journey and will contiue to be a challange. Early intervention and school is the key!
    Support, determination, and passion helps advocate and teach! it takes a team of family friends medical support teachers and therapists to assist in the learning the capability of our sons mind. I learn from him everyday what it means to be a mother, a wife, and a person. Autism is a disablity, a challange, but for some reason it was given to my son but IT dosent have him! He dosent think hes special, he may think we all are. We just need to slow down, take a breath and see the world threw his eyes. We all might be missing something. If your child or someone you know is on the Spectrum, just know this…You are not alone!

    April 18th, 2012, 9:19 am
  15. Tori Baker

    My daughter recently turned 4 and was diagnosed as Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) (stem of the Autism branch) when she was 3. We believe she had this since birth but, health care provider never really read into anything. We kept hearing that she would grow out of it. We knew something just wasn’t right. I am angry and frustrated with information out there. I wish I knew what has triggered this or what truely caused this disorder. I had a great pregnancy with her (no medical concerns, etc). We now have a 1 year old son and we keep a watchful eye on him. Always looking for the smallest signs. I truely agree that we need more awareness on Autism and the related disorders. We need to find out reasons for cause and cure. It certainly is a life changing diagnosis, but we are learning to slow down and see the world in our daughter’s eyes. Its very eye opening.

    April 18th, 2012, 12:10 pm
  16. Juliana

    I had heard that the cells in a child’s brain with Autism…is similar to the brain cells in a parent with Alzheimer’s…is there a connection? Alzheimer’s is also at epidemic proportions. Some say early prevention may involve eating better foods – more natural foods, not processed. Could there be a generation of women that have had something (chemicals/processed foods/innoculations/medications?), that is now passing onto the next generation? Alot of questions -

    April 18th, 2012, 9:42 pm
  17. David

    Perhaps the link between Environmental Estrogens (EE) should be investigated more. The documentary “The Disappearing Male” by the Canadian Broadcasting Company makes some strong correlations (I know, I know, correlation is not causation) between EE and Autism Spectrum Disorders and male birth disorders.

    April 19th, 2012, 8:10 am
  18. Jody

    I dont’ think it’s vaccines or it would affect even more than it does. I do think it’s environmental with regard to pesticides in the food water etc. poor diet. I mean what is really in that baby formula powder how is that produced.

    I was listening to the Diane Rehm show about this topic and some mothers feel that their child was born this way. I mean that is anecdotal evidence, but you can’t discount a mother’s instinct either. To me that would indicate some kind of change occuring as the fetus develops. If you consider Colony Collapse DIsorder affecting the Bees that is caused 100% from pesticides. Those same pesticides we ingest. I just dont’ think we have enough studies or data on the consequences of pesticides OR how they work in different combinations.

    Also I totally agree with the comment not to trust the drug companies. I equally don’t trust any large multinational, nor the agencies assigned to protect us. I mean the cigarette companies tried to say smoking didn’t cause cancer and DDT was safe.

    The disturbing part is our tax dollars are not going into areas that might protect us the US Citizen. Such as long term studies of these chemicals.

    April 19th, 2012, 9:38 am
  19. Juliann Kacin

    I have two children diagnosed with PDD which is an Autism Spectrum Disorder. One 14 and 12 years old now. I also have a 26 year old that I know had a reading disability in Elementary school when they did not know about all of these things. I also believe my 26 year old has other issues and if I would have had him diagnosed I firmly believe he is Aspergers. I believe vaccines do not cause Autism, but they contribute to the damage because of immune system and the brain and the genetics. I believe they may be on to a piece of the puzzle with being deficient in Folic Acid, etc. I can remember when I was preganant with my 14 year old, I was overwhelmingly tired and all I wanted to do was eat Citrus Fruit. I am not talking about your typical “I want an orange” craving. I am talking about bags of citrus. And YES i was taking my Pre-Natal vitamins faithfully. I did not smoke, I did not drink or do drugs. The last intensive Blood work I had done through Creations Own which is one of the very first Autism Research Centers with the Doctor having an Autistic child also, I was totally deficient in Folic Acid and I have to regularly supplement myself with Folic Acid, especially if I feel tired. I have learned and experimented with many things in the last 14 years to help my children when none of this exploding information was going on. I have tried many many things such as sensory int. Therapy, natural muscle testing, Gluten and Dairy Free diet for several years. I always thought through that diet that it was the dairy and not the wheat and as of 2 years ago I had some blood work done and I was right and believe me that diet was NOT easy when I was doing it. I do believe it helped some though. We had some Genetic testing done also and many other things that I tried. My best advice to all the parents suffering out there with the anxiety of helping their child is to not wait for the CDC or the Government, or the Drug Companies to do the work for you. Go with your GUT instinct and Never Ever waiver from it! Get a Hair Analysis done, ( you can ask your Doctor, Health Food store, Nutritionist ) or blood work showing what your child is deficient in. Many people do not know about it and Athletes even have this done to keep their bodies functioning at their highest. See a Genetics doctor and start simple to see what part of the Gene that is damaged and rule other things out (coincide that with the neurologist you are using for their diagnosis process) Stay away from additives in foods, etc. MSG and Hydrogenated Oils are a big one. Experiment with your child and see if you see behaviors after they eat a bag of Doritos, etc. Alot of Insurance Cos. are paying to see the Genetics Doctor now. We have BC BShield and they are even starting to pay for Occupational and Speech and Language Therapies! The only down side of the Insurance is they are usually requesting diagnosis info before the age of 5 which I think should be changed for those that are not diagnosed until after, but I am grateful as I have fought for years for that and basically my children could have used it earlier. As I sit and read some of the comments, especially of those that are just finding out, it brings me back to that time in my life and my heart goes out for what you all are feeling. I hope I have not offended anyone, but my biggest advice is to not sit frozen in fear and anxiety that happens. I know from experience that along this journey with my kids that I let it consume my life because I was in such a hurry to cure them because I am a Mother and that is what Mothers and Fathers do. I have learned when I see myself getting like this I take a deep breath and look at all the accomplishments my children have made and I have to remind myself of where I’ve been and where I have come to in this process and it is life long. So with all that said, do something even if it is starting out by giving one supplement at a time such as Fish oils, Flax oil, probiotics, etc. It’s your child, your the parent, don’t get lost in the overwhelming publicity. You can only do this one thing at a time and rule out what’s working and what’s not. Keep a journal of what you have tried even to the point of what brand of vitamin you used because some brands didn’t work for my kids, it helps. Remember start simple and observe your child, go with your gut. I hope I have not offended anyone in any way and If I helped one person, it was worth posting this comment. Respectfully yours JK

    April 20th, 2012, 10:41 am
  20. semi

    i have a 3 year old son diagnosed with autism.
    i got the diagnose a year ago on his 2nd birthday
    now that he is 3 he is still not talking and is behind in his development
    this is just really frustrating cause i want my son to get the best help as possible
    My biggest wish for him is that he gets to talk so if someone ever hurts him for example he’ll be able to tell me.

    I wish there were more answers to the question where does autism come from but i understand that its hard to answer that cause its so wide.
    I just hope and pray that one day there will be a more clear answer.

    April 27th, 2012, 3:19 pm

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